World Hearing Day 2023: Reduce Your Risk Of Hearing Loss Through These Preventive Measures

Significance & theme

Every year on March 3, World Hearing Day is observed to encourage ear and hearing care worldwide and to increase awareness of ways to avoid deafness and hearing loss. WHO chooses the theme each year and creates evidence-based advocacy materials, including presentations, booklets, flyers, posters, banners, and posters. 

Along with WHO regional and country offices, these materials are disseminated to collaborators in government and civil society all over the world. WHO hosts an annual celebration of World Hearing Day at its headquarters in Geneva. A growing number of Member States and other partner organisations have participated in World Hearing Day in recent years by holding a variety of activities and events in their nations. 

Every year, a theme is chosen in order to effectively convey the message of the worldwide day. The topic for this year is "Ear and hearing care for all!" The necessity of including ear and hearing care in routine medical treatment is highlighted by this year's World Hearing Day topic. And each of these things is thought to be crucial to providing universal health care.

WHO invites all parties to participate in this international initiative. One way to participate in this movement is to raise awareness towards prevention of hearing loss. Certain preventive steps can reduce your risk of hearing issues. Continue reading as we discuss some easy tips you can keep in mind to reduce your risk of hearing loss. 

Tips to reduce your risk of hearing loss

1. Take care of your heart

Heart disease and high blood pressure both have the potential to harm your ear's delicate hearing systems. Follow your doctor's treatment recommendations if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure to bring it under control. Poor cardiovascular health can result in a number of chronic diseases.

2. Use ear plugs

Foam earplugs or earmuffs that have been specifically made to muffle noise are affordable and simple to use. Using them can help prevent hearing loss if your workplace has constant noise levels throughout the day. If leaving the area is not an option, take regular breaks away from the noise to give your hearing a break.

3. Use noise-cancelling headset

By eliminating background noise, noise-canceling headphones help you hear music, movies, and phone calls more clearly. You will be more comfortable using your device on a lower volume and rest your ears as a result.

4. Quit smoking

Studies demonstrate that exposure to cigarette smoke, whether firsthand, secondhand, or even during pregnancy, can significantly affect a person's hearing health. Similar effects can be seen with excessive alcohol consumption, which can poison the ear. Although there isn't much research on vaping and hearing loss, there are anecdotal accounts connecting the two.

5. Exercise regularly 

Workout maintains the blood flowing to your ears and throughout your entire body. The interior components of the ears can remain healthy and the oxygen levels high with good circulation. Give your ears a break after class if you take workout classes.

6. See a doctor if needed

Consult your physician and learn about the tests that are available to assess it if you have ear pain or worry that you could have hearing loss. Treatments may be more successful the earlier hearing loss is identified.

Keep these tips in mind to protect your ears from damage and reduce your risk of hearing loss. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.